Tag Archives | boston

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Hakhel Spotlight: Urban Moshav Boston

by Jonas Parker On our Hakhel tour of intentional communities last month, our small group bonded quickly. With representatives from Baltimore, Boston, New York, Philadelphia – as well as Mexico, Ukraine, and Russia – we easily bridged our linguistic and cultural differences (everyone speaks some English and everyone enjoys good food). At Degania, the first kibbutz, founded in 1909, we had the opportunity to speak with Muki Tzur, one of the foremost leaders and historians of the kibbutz movement. Now in his 80s, Muki spoke with a deeply grounded knowledge and wisdom about what it means for Degania to now be entering its 6th generation. He also explained how the “poison of nostalgia” freezes the past into a false ideal, and he drew the distinction between testament and heritage: testament is an approach to the past that says “this is the way things were and must be, therefore I will tell you what to do”, while heritage says “I trust you to look at our shared past, and decide what to keep and adapt for your future.” The gifts history has to offer are insights into how people of the past thought about the future; across time, people are always […]

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Howie Rodenstein

Patriots’ Day Ride

Patriots’ Day & Boston Marathon Ride April 15th, 7:00 AM Newton, MA Join your friends on this special morning for a great ride in (hopefully) beautiful Spring weather, as the Marathon fans and vendors set up: Meet at 7:00 AM in the Newton Library Parking Lot at the corner of Comm Ave and Homer St and leave about 7:15 Feel free to meet there or along the way Ride the Marathon Route out towards Hopkinton (~19 miles) and back Finish on arrival back in Newton (~19 miles) or continue all the way into Boston (~26 miles) Download a Route Map of the Marathon as a guide Please email Howie Rodenstein, chair of the Arava Institute Hazon Israel Ride, if you are interested.  

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Blue City smaller

First Annual Boston Jewish Food Conference: Sowing the Seeds of Sustainability

Sunday April 22nd, 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM Co-sponsored by Hazon. Join the Greater Boston Jewish community for an in-depth exploration of cuisine, agriculture, labor, business, health, access, history, and spirituality.  Participate in a range of hands-on activities, Jewish textual reflections, and contemporary food justice sessions, including: Agricultural dimensions of the Jewish calendar cycle Contemporary Jewish spiritual practice Kosher ritual slaughter and eating ethics Models of Community Supported Agriculture and Sustainable Simchas Shuk (marketplace) with educational resources, local vendors of Judaica crafts, sustainable food goodies (to purchase and to taste) and community partners Wool spinning, sauerkraut making & wheat threshing Workers’ rights, food aid and access (more…)

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